Degree Programs and Requirements 1
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Degree Programs and Requirements 1 Degree Programs and Requirements DEGREE PROGRAMS AND ACADEMIC REQUIREMENTS Master of Arts in Religious Studies Program (AMRS) The AMRS Program is designed for students interested in developing a broad basis of understanding in religious studies. The AMRS is a terminal degree and alone is not considered sufficient preparation for the Divinity School’s Ph.D Program. Students interested in the doctoral study at the Divinity School should transfer to either the MA or MDiv program. Academic and Curricular Requirements To earn the AMRS degree, students must satisfactorily complete (at least a B- or better) a minimum of 9 courses. Courses must include: • Foundation Course(s): All AMRS students must satisfactorily complete DVSC 30400- Introduction to the Study of Religion. This course is offered every Autumn quarter. • Area Distribution: All AMRS students must take courses in three different areas of study. • Elective Coursework: AMRS students elect their coursework for the degree. Any credit-bearing graduate-level course at the University may be counted toward the degree. AMRS students should consult with their faculty advisor about which courses would be most beneficial in determining the focus and direction of their work. AMRS students may create independent reading or research courses with individual faculty members. These courses are credit-bearing and can last for one quarter up to an entire academic year. Students must consult with individual faculty members to create such a course, typically the term before the desired course will take place. If the faculty member agrees, the student will work with the faculty member to design a syllabus with goals and objectives of the course, the required reading list, meeting times, and any required assignments. This syllabus along with the Reading/Research Course Petition Form is submitted to the Dean of Students Office for processing. The petition form and accompanying syllabus are due by Wednesday of Week 3 of the quarter that the student is taking the course. If the course lasts for more than one quarter, the student must submit a new form for each quarter. Reading and Research courses count as electives, not as area distribution courses, unless approved by the advisor. AMRS students must also satisfactorily complete a one-hour oral examination based on a paper that represents the student’s interests in the study of religion. The document is normally the revised version of a paper that the student wrote to complete the requirements of a course or independent research course. The examination paper is chosen by the student, but it must be approved in advance by the faculty member under whose direction the paper was originally written. Students must apply to take the oral examination no later than Week of 3 of the quarter that the examination is to take place. The student may identify two faculty members to participate in the oral examination, one of which must be the instructor for whom the paper is written. If the student does not have a second faculty member, the MA Program Director will be asked to participate in the oral examination. The examination paper should be distributed to the participating faculty no later than 2 weeks before the scheduled oral examination. The oral examination is convened by the Dean of Students or designee. At the beginning of the oral examination, the faculty examiners confer privately to develop questions of the student. The student is then admitted into the examination. The student is allowed to introduce themselves, their work in the AMRS program, and offers a 10-15-minute summary of the examination paper. The faculty examiners ask questions and offer comments. The total time of the presentation and questions and answer period should not exceed one hour. The faculty examiners then deliberate privately and complete the AMRS Oral Evaluation Form with the Dean of Students or designee. Afterwards, the faculty examiners inform the student of the results: Pass or Fail. If a student fails an AMRS oral examination, they will be withdrawn from the AMRS program. The AMRS Oral Evaluation Form is added to the student’s file. Language Requirements There are no language requirements for the AMRS program. AMRS students may engage in language study as elective coursework that will count toward degree progression. Enrollment and Registration Requirements AMRS students may enroll full-time (3 or more 100-unit courses) or on a part-time basis (less than 3 100-unit courses). Students are not permitted to take more than four courses per quarter. The maximum registration enrollment limit for the AMRS Program is 3 academic years. Students studying full-time are expected to complete the program requirements in one (1) academic yar. Students studying part- 2 Degree Programs and Requirements time may take up to three years to complete the program. After 3 academic years, students are administratively withdrawn from the program, and will need to reapply for admission to continue the program. Students must be enrolled in at least 2 courses to be eligible for federal financial aid (loans and work-study). AMRS students are expected to register in consecutive quarters of the academic year (Autumn, Winter, Spring). Students may take a leave of absence for a maximum of four consecutive quarters, including the Summer quarter. Students who do not register for four consecutive quarters will be withdrawn from the program. Administratively withdrawn students must submit a petition to resume studies. Petitions must be approved by the MA Program Director and the Dean of Students. AMRS students may withdraw from the program at any time. Students wishing to withdraw from the program should consult with the Dean of Students Office. Grading and Incomplete Coursework All Divinity School courses are evaluated using quality grades (A, B, C, D, and F), all of which have + or – modifiers. AMRS students must earn a grade of B- or better in courses that count toward degree completion. Courses grades of C+ or below and audited courses do not count toward degree completion. Students may elect to take a course on a Pass/Fail basis. To earn a grade of Pass (P), students must earn an equivalent of B- or higher in the course to earn a Pass. Students must obtain instructor approval to take a course on a Pass/Fail. Once instructor approval is obtained, students must submit their request to the Dean of Students Office by Wednesday of Week 3 for processing. AMRS students may count only one (1) course graded on a Pass/Fail basis toward degree progression. The foundational course DVSC 30400- Introduction to the Study of Religion must be taken for a quality grade. Note that the Divinity School modified its grading practices to allow students greater flexibility to deal with the circumstances of the health crisis for Spring Quarter 2020. Divinity School students were allowed to take any class offered by the Divinity School on a Pass/Fail basis in the Spring 2020 quarter, except those meeting any language requirements. Divinity School students that took courses on a pass/fail basis during Spring 2020 will remain in good academic standing, as long as all other degree requirements are met. Courses taken on a Pass/ Fail basis during Spring 2020 will count toward the quality grade course requirement. Hence, Divinity School students will not have to take additional courses to make up for any courses taken on a Pass/Fail basis in the Spring 2020 quarter. Students may also elect to audit a course, which is indicated as (R) on the transcript. Students who audit courses typically complete assigned readings, participate in class discussions, but do not turn in assignments. Audited courses are not taken for credit and do not count toward degree completion. Students must obtain instructor approval to audit a course. Once instructor approval is obtained, students must submit their request to the Dean of Students Office by Wednesday of Week 3 for processing. Students may request an Incomplete (I) for a course to allow additional time to finish work required for a quality grade. Students who wish to take an Incomplete grade for a course must make a formal request to the instructor of record for the course using the form available on the Forms for Current Students website. These forms must be turned into the Dean of Students Office for processing. AMRS students have one academic year to complete and submit the unfinished coursework. After the year elapses, the I becomes permanent, and any grade submitted will be placed next to the I (e.g. I/B+). AMRS students with more than three Incomplete or ungraded courses on their transcript at the beginning of the academic year may not register for following quarter. NOTE: Students utilizing federal student aid should consult with the Graduate Financial Office to determine if and how a grade of I will impact loan eligibility. AMRS students that have completed program requirements are expected to graduate. Students ineligible for graduation but will no longer take additional coursework (e.g. finishing incomplete coursework, exams, fieldwork, etc.) may enter Extended Status for up to four consecutive quarters, including Summer. Extended Status confers no privileges such as registering for courses, borrowing federal loans, student loan deferment, access to health insurance, or access to the Student Wellness, and carries no tuition charges. Students in Extended Status are eligible to access the libraries on campus and borrowing privileges may be purchased for a quarterly fee. Access to university e-mail accounts is maintained in Extended Status. Students who have not graduated at the end of the four quarters of Extended Status will be administratively withdrawn from the program. Students administratively removed may petition to graduate once all degree requirements are met.